NHS waiting lists drop in Staffordshire and improvements across the region

New figures reveal waiting lists at Staffordshire’s County Hospital in Stafford and Royal Stoke University Hospital have dropped by 13,393 since the last general election. This local progress reflects efforts across the Midlands and North West, where hospitals have seen some of the largest improvements in England.

Staffordshire’s recent progress

The University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) has highlighted the collective efforts between government, hospital staff, and the adoption of modern technologies in successfully reducing patient backlogs.

Investment in state-of-the-art facilities, like the £9.8 million Day Case Unit in Stafford, has been key to cutting waiting times in Staffordshire. The unit delivers faster day-case surgeries, helping thousands of patients access treatment more quickly. Robotics-assisted surgical systems are also aiding efficiency and safety, allowing greater patient throughput.

Leigh Ingham, MP for Stafford, Eccleshall, and local villages, expressed gratitude to the NHS workers involved.

“I’m incredibly proud of the hardworking teams at County Hospital and Royal Stoke for their work reducing waiting lists. This progress has only been possible because of the dedication of local NHS staff who have worked tirelessly under huge pressure,” Ingham said.

Gareth Snell, MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central, believes joint efforts of staff, leadership, and government initiatives have contributed greatly.

“A reduction of more than 13,000 people on the waiting list since the election is a hugely significant achievement. This has come about through the combined commitment, leadership and investment from the Government and the tireless dedication of NHS staff at UHNM,” Snell said.

Midlands leads national improvements

Across the Midlands, waiting times fell by over 92,000 in the last year, marking a 6.5% reduction compared to the national average drop of 2.3%.

Additionally, the proportion of patients in the region being treated within the 18-week target has risen by 3.6 percentage points to over 60%, showing greater regional improvement compared to the nationwide increase of 2.6%.

Hospitals in Shrewsbury, Derby, Burton, and Birmingham have reported significant progress cutting the number of patients waiting longer than a year for treatment. New technologies, including robotic-assisted surgery systems, and smarter use of hospital resources such as digital tools to reduce missed patient appointments, are credited.

Innovative programmes drive North West success

The North West has also seen a notable drop in waiting times, supported by the ‘Further Faster 20’ programme in 10 regional hospital Trusts. This initiative brings specialist NHS teams together to work with local staff on enhancing operations and outpatient schedules.

From high-flow theatre lists to improved outpatient processes, North West trusts have adopted new approaches to streamline care. Bolton NHS Foundation Trust introduced systems to cut wasted slots by 20% with better capacity management, while East Lancashire NHS Trust is using AI-powered dictation in pre-operative assessments, leading to a 14% increase in nurse productivity.

These efforts have contributed to waiting lists being reduced across the North West by 86,000 in November 2025, amounting to one of the largest drops seen in recent years outside of the early pandemic.

Continued commitment

Both Staffordshire MPs stressed the importance of sustained focus on NHS improvement.

In a broader push, government investment and new practices like opening Community Diagnostic Centres, surgical hubs, advanced technology, and eliminating unnecessary appointments have helped deliver over 5 million additional elective appointments across England between July 2024 and June 2025.

Despite ongoing challenges such as record attendance in A&E and high demand for NHS services, both regional and national leaders are committed to maintaining progress and ensuring long-waiting patients receive treatment within 18 weeks by the end of the current Parliament.

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